Nairobi, March 10, (dpa/GNA) – More than 1.7 million people in Burkina Faso are internally displaced, after a surge in January, the same month as a military junta took power in a coup.

The same month, more than 160,000 people were newly displaced, the second-largest monthly increase since a humanitarian crisis began three years ago, according to non-governmental organizations including the Norwegian Refugee Council, Action Against Hunger, Medecins du Monde France and Oxfam.

“Flashing around big figures at high-level meetings doesn’t mean anything to people who lack decent shelter, clean water, and can’t feed their children three meals a day. We call on donor countries to make good on the promises made at the Central Sahel Conference in October 2020,” said Hassane Hamadou, country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council in Burkina Faso.

“The crisis in this region should not be addressed only when strategically convenient, or when a Sahel country is in the media limelight. The international community has a duty to alleviate human suffering, whether they hit close to home or not.”

The West African country of 21 million people is in the throes of a serious political crisis, mainly because of the increasing threat of Islamist terrorism in the Sahel region.

Many militias operate in the region, some of which have sworn allegiance to the so-called Islamic State or the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda.

Protracted droughts and famines also cause problems for the country, which is impoverished despite rich gold deposits.

Since January 2019, the displaced population in Burkina Faso has grown by 2,000%, with more than 1.7 million people now uprooted. More than two out of three are children.

However, very little funding is available for humanitarian response, and the organizations said it was vital that the crisis in Ukraine does not divert funds and attention away from the Sahel region this year.

“Some donors have already indicated that they would proceed to a 70% cut of our funding to support operations in Ukraine. We are very concerned that this will become a trend, making access to health care and other basic services even scarcer for displaced people in Burkina Faso,” said Safia Torche, general director for Medecins du Monde in Burkina Faso.

“The crisis in Ukraine is also likely to impact soaring grain prices, making an already bad situation worse,” said Gregoire Brou, country director for Action Against Hunger in Burkina Faso. “An estimated 3 million people are facing food insecurity in Burkina Faso and this number is likely to increase significantly this year during the lean season. Now is the time for the mobilization of all, not disengagement.”
GNA

Nairobi, March 10, (dpa/GNA) – More than 1.7 million people in Burkina Faso are internally displaced, after a surge in January, the same month as a military junta took power in a coup.

The same month, more than 160,000 people were newly displaced, the second-largest monthly increase since a humanitarian crisis began three years ago, according to non-governmental organizations including the Norwegian Refugee Council, Action Against Hunger, Medecins du Monde France and Oxfam.

“Flashing around big figures at high-level meetings doesn’t mean anything to people who lack decent shelter, clean water, and can’t feed their children three meals a day. We call on donor countries to make good on the promises made at the Central Sahel Conference in October 2020,” said Hassane Hamadou, country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council in Burkina Faso.

“The crisis in this region should not be addressed only when strategically convenient, or when a Sahel country is in the media limelight. The international community has a duty to alleviate human suffering, whether they hit close to home or not.”

The West African country of 21 million people is in the throes of a serious political crisis, mainly because of the increasing threat of Islamist terrorism in the Sahel region.

Many militias operate in the region, some of which have sworn allegiance to the so-called Islamic State or the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda.

Protracted droughts and famines also cause problems for the country, which is impoverished despite rich gold deposits.

Since January 2019, the displaced population in Burkina Faso has grown by 2,000%, with more than 1.7 million people now uprooted. More than two out of three are children.

However, very little funding is available for humanitarian response, and the organizations said it was vital that the crisis in Ukraine does not divert funds and attention away from the Sahel region this year.

“Some donors have already indicated that they would proceed to a 70% cut of our funding to support operations in Ukraine. We are very concerned that this will become a trend, making access to health care and other basic services even scarcer for displaced people in Burkina Faso,” said Safia Torche, general director for Medecins du Monde in Burkina Faso.

“The crisis in Ukraine is also likely to impact soaring grain prices, making an already bad situation worse,” said Gregoire Brou, country director for Action Against Hunger in Burkina Faso. “An estimated 3 million people are facing food insecurity in Burkina Faso and this number is likely to increase significantly this year during the lean season. Now is the time for the mobilization of all, not disengagement.”
GNA